Huangming

Chapter 351 Public Trial by the People, Apocalyptic Divine Sword (Bonus Chapter for 1000 Monthly Tickets!)
After three days and three nights of swift travel, the sealed brocade box was finally delivered to the Imperial Envoy's Post Station in Jizhou City.

Yang Lian took the brocade box, quickly walked into the inner hall, personally broke the seal, and carefully read the secret decree.

"Soldiers report, and the people hold a public trial?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Yang Lian's eyes when she saw these eight characters.

But he quickly understood the emperor's meaning, and an expression of admiration appeared on his face.

"Your Majesty's plan truly breaks free from the constraints of ordinary investigations; it is unprecedented, yet it is also the most effective!"

In the past, corruption investigations were mostly conducted by officials from top to bottom, which inevitably led to entanglements with personal relationships and vested interests. However, allowing soldiers to report corruption and allowing the people to conduct public trials puts the power of judgment in the hands of the most oppressed people.

They know best who is greedy and who is honest, who is loyal and who is treacherous.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Lian immediately summoned Liu Qu, Li Hongji, Han Hu, and the core generals of the Jizhou Garrison Command, and publicly read out the secret edict.

When everyone heard about the "public trial by the people," they were all shocked. Li Hongji was the first to bow and say:
"Your Majesty's plan is brilliant! The soldiers have suffered enough from embezzlement, and the people hate the harm of corruption. Let them stand up and speak out, and we will surely be able to expose those parasites hiding in the shadows!"

Li Hongji, who came from humble beginnings, immediately understood the emperor's intentions.

This plan!

How wonderful!

"There's no time to lose, let's act immediately!"

Yang Lian immediately gave the order.

"First, notices will be posted in all camps and streets of Jizhou City, clearly stating that all soldiers and civilians will be rewarded for reporting any crimes committed by generals, such as corruption or collusion with foreign barbarians, regardless of their rank."

If the allegations are true, not only will they be pardoned from past offenses, but they will also receive priority in receiving their withheld military pay and the return of their seized land.

"Secondly, order the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison to assist the soldiers of the Standard Battalion in maintaining order and protecting the safety of the informants. Anyone who dares to retaliate against the informant shall be treated as an accomplice to the rebels and killed without exception!"

In the three days following the posting of the notice, Jizhou City was in an uproar, like a lake tossed with a boulder.

At first, the soldiers and civilians hesitated, after all, they had been oppressed by officials for many years and were afraid that "their reports would not be accepted and they would be retaliated against instead".

But when the first soldier who reported that the commander had embezzled three months' worth of military pay not only received a reward but also received the owed pay on the spot, more and more people mustered up their courage and flocked to the reporting point outside the official post station.

Some veterans, trembling, held the ledgers containing the embezzled military pay and tearfully recounted how the lieutenant general had pocketed the missing pay.

Some military households and civilians brought land deeds of their forcibly seized land to testify how the guerrilla general had seized it by trickery and force.

Some of the servants who had participated in smuggling even secretly presented letters between the battalion commanders and Jurchen merchants.

In no time, the petitions of accusation piled up on Yang Lian's desk, implicating hundreds of military officers, from lieutenant generals and guerrillas to captains and lieutenants.

"Your Excellency, according to the indictment, there are probably no fewer than three hundred officers involved. Do we really have to take them all down?"

Li Hongji looked at the complaint on the desk with some worry.

"If all the mid-level generals are arrested, the defense of Jizhou will likely fall into chaos."

Yang Lian was well aware of the potential risks involved.

He picked up the petition and reviewed it one by one, his brows gradually furrowing: "His Majesty sent me here to reorganize Jizhou, not to disrupt it. Among these people, some are just going with the flow and their embezzlement is not large; some are receiving salaries without working, but they have not harmed the foundation of the military households; and some, although they have made mistakes, have contributed to the previous suppression of the rebellion."

He paused, his tone thoughtful: "Pass on my order that anyone who embezzles less than fifty taels of silver or who receives no more than ten salaries without working, if they voluntarily confess their crimes and pay double the amount of the embezzled funds to atone for their sins, will be exempted from punishment, allowed to remain in their original position, and be allowed to redeem themselves through meritorious service."

Anyone who embezzles more than fifty taels but less than one hundred taels, or who employs more than ten but less than thirty people without working, shall be dismissed from his official post, demoted to a soldier, and stationed at the border to atone for his crime through military merit.

Only those whose sins are heinous and unforgivable should be severely punished!

Upon receiving this order, the officers of Jizhou breathed a sigh of relief.

Many people voluntarily went to the official post station overnight to surrender themselves, pay off their embezzled funds, and ask for atonement.

They knew that Yang Lian's actions were already showing leniency, and if they continued to be obstinate, they would only face more severe punishment.

Even so, there are still a number of stubborn individuals who refuse to listen.

Yang Lian sifted through numerous petitions and selected over twenty individuals guilty of heinous crimes:
Some officers falsely reported more than 300 soldiers for a long period of time, receiving salaries without working for five years and embezzling more than 100,000 taels of military pay.

Some guerrilla generals not only embezzled military pay, but also allowed their servants to plunder the people, causing three villages outside Jizhou City to be displaced and causing widespread resentment.

Even worse, Li San, the former commander of Xifengkou, not only colluded with the Jurchens to trade gunpowder and ironware, but also led Jurchen merchants on a journey that resulted in a Ming army patrol being ambushed and suffering heavy casualties.

"These people, if left alive, will only bring disaster to Jizhou!"

Yang Lian compiled the evidence of these people's crimes into a book, her tone icy.

"Li Hongji, you will lead five hundred elite troops from the Beijing Garrison to each camp immediately and capture all these men! If they resist, kill them without mercy!"

"As ordered!"

Li Hongji accepted the order and led his elite soldiers straight to the various camps.

These disgraced officials had already heard rumors of the plot. Some gathered their servants to put up a stubborn resistance, while others tried to escape by climbing over the wall, but they were all surrounded by the well-prepared soldiers of the standard battalion.

At Shimen Village, a military officer refused to confess and ordered his servants to attack the soldiers. Li Hongji immediately ordered a counterattack. After a fierce battle lasting half an hour, more than 30 servants were killed before the officer was captured alive.

At Gubeikou, a guerrilla general attempted to break through the encirclement on horseback but was shot off his horse by a soldier and captured on the spot.

In just three days, more than 120 criminal officials were captured and imprisoned in Jizhou Prison.

When the news spread, the people and soldiers of Jizhou City were overjoyed. Many people spontaneously came to the official post station and shouted, "The Imperial Envoy has done justice for the people!" Their eyes were full of expectation.

Yang Lian stood by the window of the inner hall, listening to the cheers outside, but her mind remained focused.

Exposing these culpable officials is only the first step. There is still much more to be done, including public trials by the people, paying back military salaries, and strengthening defenses.

"Tomorrow, a public trial will be held at the drill ground in the center of the city."

Yang Lian turned to the clerk beside him and said, "Let the people and soldiers of Jizhou witness these parasites being punished, and let them know that justice will eventually prevail."

Justice delayed is justice denied, but it is better than no justice at all.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking in Jizhou City, the drill ground in the city center was already bustling with activity.

On the open ground where soldiers used to drill, a public trial platform ten feet high rose from the ground. The platform was covered with a black cloth, and on each side stood four executioners dressed in red, holding ghost-head knives. The blades gleamed coldly in the morning light, making people's scalps tingle.

Outside the trial platform, five thousand soldiers from the Beijing garrison stood in neat square formations, holding long spears, completely surrounding the platform.

They were doing this both to maintain order and to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

Besides the soldiers of the Beijing garrison, the entire drill ground was already packed with densely packed civilians and military households, and even the rooftops and walls around the drill ground were covered with people.

Some people carried the land deeds that had been forcibly seized, some held the memorial tablets of their relatives, and others clutched IOUs for withheld military pay. Their eyes were full of anticipation and excitement, and they kept whispering among themselves, waiting for the moment when "justice would be served".

At 3:45 AM, accompanied by the rapid sound of horses' hooves, Yang Lian, dressed in a scarlet imperial envoy's robe, slowly walked towards the public trial platform, escorted by Li Hongji, Han Hu, and others.

He stood tall and straight, his face serious. His gaze swept over the dark mass of people below the stage, and the originally noisy training ground instantly fell silent, with only the sound of the wind blowing the flags.

Yang Lian walked onto the public trial platform and stood in the very center.

"Fellow elders and brothers of Jizhou! I, Yang Lian, stand here today not to flaunt my power as an imperial envoy, but to uphold justice on behalf of His Majesty!"

He paused, his gaze sharpening as he swept over the weathered faces of the audience.
"Among you, some are forced to eat coarse rice mixed with sand because the generals embezzled their pay; some have had to sell their children because their military farmland was seized; and some have lost their families and wives because officials allowed their servants to plunder!"

The reason why Jizhou has fallen to this state, and why its border defenses are practically nonexistent, is not because our Ming soldiers are not brave enough, nor because our people are not hardworking enough, but because a group of parasites and scoundrels are clinging to our Jizhou, sucking our blood and eating the court's grain, while engaging in treasonous acts and harming the people!

"well said!"

Suddenly someone shouted from below the stage, followed by a wave of cheers that made everyone's eardrums vibrate.

These words expressed the grievances and anger that they had kept bottled up for years!
Yang Lian raised his hand to quell the cheers, and only continued after the cheers had subsided:

"As the saying goes, good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will be punished! It's not that they won't be punished, it's just that their time hasn't come yet! Today, I will make these parasites pay the price for what they have done!"
Let everyone see that the imperial court has not forgotten you, His Majesty has not forgotten you, and justice will ultimately prevail on the land of Jizhou!

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly waved his hand and shouted, "Bring out the first prisoner!"

Two soldiers from the Beijing Garrison escorted a burly man dressed in prison clothes to the public trial platform.

The burly man was about forty years old. Although he was chained up, his former arrogance was still evident. However, at this moment, his face was pale, his eyes were filled with fear, and his steps were unsteady. He was almost being dragged along by the soldiers.

"This man is Shen Jingbing, the former commander of the General's Battalion!"

Yang Lian's voice, transmitted clearly through the brass loudspeaker, reached everyone's ears.

"During his three years in office, he falsely reported the number of soldiers to be 200 and embezzled more than 80,000 taels of silver. He also embezzled 30% of the soldiers' pay every month, resulting in the deaths of more than 30 soldiers due to hunger and cold. Even worse, he allowed his servants to abduct women from the common people. Last year alone, five women from the common people were kidnapped by him, two of whom committed suicide because they could not bear the humiliation."

Furthermore, he once ordered a soldier to be beaten to death and his body dumped in the wilderness because the soldier demanded the return of his withheld pay!

With each charge brought forth, the anger of the crowd below intensified.

Upon hearing the accusations of "forcibly abducting a woman" and "beating someone to death," a ragged middle-aged man suddenly rushed out from the crowd, clutching a wooden sign, and knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.

"Shen Jingbing! You beast! Last year you kidnapped my wife, and she refused to submit, even at the cost of her life, and smashed her head against a pillar in your house! Today, I have finally waited for this day!"

An elderly woman nearby also cried out, "My son was beaten to death by you just because he wanted military pay! Give me back my son's life!"

Shen Jingbing was so frightened by this scene that he trembled all over. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Yang Lian:

"Your Excellency, spare my life! I was wrong! I'm willing to hand over all the stolen silver, please spare my dog's life!"

"Spare you?"

Yang Lian sneered, her eyes icy.

"When you were harming the people and embezzling military pay, did you never think of sparing the lives of those innocent people? Today, I, the imperial envoy, will act on behalf of Heaven and seek justice for those wronged souls you killed!"

He raised his hand and shouted the order: "Execute!"

"Yes!"

The executioner stepped forward, grabbed Shen Jingbing by the hair, and slammed his head onto the execution platform.

Shen Jingbing screamed in terror and struggled to get up, but was held down firmly by the soldiers.

The executioner spat a mouthful of liquor onto the broadsword and then swung it downwards.

With a sharp "crack," a flash of cold light appeared, and a bloody head rolled to the ground, its eyes wide open, dying with its eyes still open.

"Good! Well done!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the audience.

The middle-aged man, clutching his wife's wooden plaque, repeatedly kowtowed before the judge's bench, his forehead bleeding profusely.

"Thank you, Your Honor! Thank you, Your Majesty! My wife's great revenge has finally been achieved today!"

Countless civilians and military households who had been oppressed by Shen Jingbing also knelt down, bowing in the direction of Yang Lian, shouting:

"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy has stood up for the people!"

"Shen Jingbing deserved to die!"

"Jizhou is saved! Justice has come!"

Shen Jingbing's head rolled onto the black cloth, and blood stained the table, but this was only the prelude to this public trial.

Yang Lian raised his hand to signal the soldiers to clean up the scene. His gaze swept over the still-boiling crowd below the stage, and without hesitation, he continued to shout, "Bring the second prisoner!"

soon.

Two soldiers from the Beijing Garrison escorted a slightly overweight man in prison clothes onto the stage.

The man was none other than Ma Pijing, the former military commander of Xifengkou. At this moment, his face was ashen and his legs were weak. If he hadn't been supported by his soldiers, he would have collapsed to the ground long ago.

Yang Lian picked up the evidence on the table and read it aloud one by one. Each word struck the hearts of the people below the stage like a heavy hammer:
"During his five years as the military commander of Xifengkou, Ma Pijing secretly colluded with the Tartars and the Jurchens, selling over a thousand pieces of gunpowder and ironware to the imperial court, earning 200,000 taels of silver in illicit gains; he also embezzled 40% of his soldiers' pay, causing the Xifengkou garrison to suffer heavy casualties last year when they clashed with Tartar cavalry due to a lack of food and weapons."

He even allowed his servants to plunder surrounding villages, stealing grain and livestock, and burning three civilians to death! Such traitors who collude with the enemy and harm the people are unforgivable and deserve to be executed!

"Treason and collusion with the enemy?!"

The crowd below the stage erupted in uproar.

The people of Jizhou had suffered from the plundering by the Tartars for many years and hated the word "collusion with the enemy" the most.

An old soldier who had served at Xifengkou was trembling with rage, pointing at Ma Bijing and cursing:
“Ma Pijing! Last year, we brothers defended the city on empty stomachs, while you were doing business with the Tartars! More than thirty of our brothers died under Tartar arrows because you embezzled military pay and sold weapons privately! You deserve to die!”

Ma Pijing was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly to Yang Lian, crying out, "Your Excellency, I have been wronged! It's all a frame-up! Please investigate again!"

"Injustice?"

Yang Lian sneered and threw a letter in front of him.

"These are your secret letters with Jurchen merchants, bearing your signature, as well as your ledgers for reselling arms. The evidence is overwhelming; do you still dare to deny it?"

Looking at the letters and account books, Ma Pijing's face turned completely pale, and he could no longer utter a word of defense.

Yang Lian said no more, raised his hand and ordered: "Execute!"

The executioner stepped forward again, a flash of cold light, and another head fell to the ground.

The cheers from the crowd below were even louder than before, with some raising their fists and shouting, "Well done! Traitors who collude with the enemy deserve this!"

In the time that followed, the public trial was like a scene from the drama of "the King of Hell judging a case."

Holding the incriminating evidence, Yang Lian read out each name, and a corrupt general was brought up to the stage.

There was a guerrilla general who falsely reported 300 soldiers and embezzled 150,000 taels of military pay; a captain who forcibly seized 1,000 acres of military farmland and drove three military households to their deaths; and a lieutenant who allowed his servants to bully men and women and commit all sorts of evil deeds.

"Li Mao, the former commander of the Gubeikou garrison, embezzled the salaries of 100 men without working and forcibly took seven women. He shall be executed!"

"Zhao Si, former commander of Jizhou Garrison, embezzled disaster relief funds, resulting in the starvation deaths of more than fifty people. He shall be executed!"

With each utterance of the word "behead," a head rolled to the ground, and each decapitation was accompanied by deafening cheers and prostrations from the crowd below.

Some of the people who had been oppressed by these generals wept bitterly while holding the memorial tablets of their loved ones, some held up the land deeds that had been forcibly seized and shouted "justice!", and some even kowtowed three times heavily towards the public trial platform, oblivious to the blood seeping from their foreheads.

"Thank you so much, Your Honor! My son's injustice has finally been redressed today!"

"Your Majesty is wise! The Imperial Envoy is wise! Jizhou is saved!"

Cheers, cries, and shouts of worship mingled together, echoing for a long time in the sky above Jizhou City.

The soldiers of the standard battalion were also filled with excitement as they watched this scene.

They had suffered from the generals' embezzlement for many years, and now seeing these corrupt officials severely punished, their pent-up resentment was finally released, and their respect for the court and Yang Lian grew even deeper.

Standing on the public trial platform, Yang Lian looked at the dark mass of people bowing and kowtowing below, and heard the cries of "Your Honor, the Upright Judge," yet his mind remained perfectly clear.

Today's public trial is not only about seeking justice for the people, but also about restoring the prestige of the imperial court.

These beheaded generals are a symbol of corruption in Jizhou; their deaths send a signal to everyone.

The imperial court's determination to eradicate corruption is unwavering; those who oppress the people will be severely punished!

"From now on, no one in Jizhou will dare to obstruct my policies."

Yang Lian muttered to himself.

He knew that after today's public trial, the people's hearts had turned to the court, and the people were his strongest support.

In the future, whether it is to pay back military salaries, reorganize defenses, or investigate other corrupt officials, the people will support these efforts.

Who dares to stop it?

First, ask the people in the audience who were once oppressed but have now rekindled their hope whether they agree!
As the sunlight gradually rose higher, it shone on Yang Lian's official robe, making his figure appear even more upright.

Looking at the still agitated crowd below the stage, and at the blood-stained swords on the trial platform, a strong sense of mission welled up in his heart.

This is what scholars should do: not to scheme and seek wealth and status, but to establish a moral compass for the world and a destiny for the people.

This is the path Yang Lian should take: not to protect himself or follow the crowd, but to be incorruptible and speak out for the people!
He recalled Hai Rui, whom he admired in his youth, the "Hai Qingtian" who fought against corruption throughout his life and dared to criticize the Jiajing Emperor.

Today, on the drill ground in Jizhou, he put his ideals into practice with a ruthless public trial, and took a solid step in the direction that Hai Rui once took.

If Hai Rui was the Wanli Divine Sword, then Yang Lian was the Tianqi Divine Sword!
From this day forward, the sky over Jizhen should be fully bright!
Liaodong and Xuanda.
Whether they are corrupt officials or ordinary citizens.

Wait for me!
I, Yang Lian, will be there right away!

His divine sword of revelation will surely pierce through the darkness of the nine directions!

ps:
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(End of this chapter)